The term “unicorn” gets thrown around too much in the NBA nowadays, but it’s clear to see that Bol Bol isn’t your average NBA player. Standing at 7’2 and only weighing 220 pounds, he has a body frame we’ve never really seen in the NBA. Having this body type, though, often forces players like this to be in street clothes more than NBA jerseys because of frequent injuries. This was a big concern for scouts going into the 2019 draft. Bol was injured for a vast majority of his one season at Oregon, which led him from being looked at as a top ten pick to eventually falling to the Denver Nuggets with the 44th pick in the draft. Fast forward to now, and many teams are regretting not taking the swing on his freakish ability.
Bol got off to a very slow start to his career in Denver. Between injury and his inability to find a role in the lineup, he played just 53 games in his three seasons for the Nuggets. In his limited minutes–especially in the bubble–he showed flashes of the potential we saw at Mater Dei and Oregon. Despite this, his minutes were very limited due to being back-up to a two-time MVP that needs to be on the court every minute his body allows. Also, Michael Malone didn’t want to play Bol because he didn’t play as a team player and wasn’t putting in the work needed to be great. And, it wasn’t just Malone thinking this. Bol opened up about his time in Denver after he was traded:
"Yeah, I can say there was a little bit, I feel I could've worked a lot harder. That was just me being young. That's one of the things I learned, you have to work hard or (stuff's) not gonna work out for you. I think it (was) very good for me. (My time in Denver) definitely put me through a lot. Even off the court and on the court. But I think everyone goes through their own struggles. Nothing's ever completely over. Here, people might think, 'Oh, he'll never play again.' Here, I just learned a lot from watching (Nikola) Jokic. That was big for me." - Bol Bol, The Denver Post
As we can see, Denver wasn’t the best situation for him. Unlike many NBA players, Bol puts his pride aside and takes some personal responsibility. He does add that he was able to learn a lot from watching Jokic, and we can see it on the court in Orlando.
We’re about ⅔ of the way through this NBA season and we’ve already seen Bol Bol play more games this year than he did in all three years combined in Denver. The Magic have given him about 23 mpg this season and he’s showing why he deserves every one of those minutes. Take a look at some of the things he can bring to the court:
Bol Bol is one of the scariest players in the NBA in transition. He’s got the size to block shots and grab rebounds, while also being able to put the ball on the floor and run coast-to-coast in transition. Not many people want to get in the way when they see a 7’2 man with a 7'8 wingspan ready to drop the hammer on them.
Bol gets a lot of attention because of the things he does that other players his size can’t. His ball-handling and shooting is what gets him so much attention. In spite of this, it isn’t the best part of his game. Bol does a great job at using his size and wingspan to finish over taller defenders in the paint. In the restricted area, he’s shooting a whopping 83%. This efficiency puts him at #1 in the NBA in restricted area fg%. Too often, though, we see Bol settling for the mid-range instead of using his handle and size to get to the rim. He takes 38% of his shots from the middy, putting him in the 82nd-percentile for all big men. Moreover, he’s only shooting 45% on those shots. While he still takes more shots at the rim (43% of attempts) than mid-ranges, he’s still not taking as many as he should.
One area I’d like to see Bol expand more on is his ability to knock-down shots from three. The NBA is moving in the direction where teams want every man on the floor to be able to knock down a three. While Bol Bol is by no means a bad shooter–shooting 35% on all threes besides heaves–he only takes 1.5 threes/game. He’s most certainly proven that he’s capable of shooting the ball–even in transition:
Because of his height and wingspan, his shot is nearly impossible to block. Most players that contest him don’t even affect his shot because of his freakish size. If he can consistently knock down his long range jumper, we’ll start seeing players closing out much more aggressively, leading Bol to put the ball on the floor and show off his handle and ability to get to the rim.
Bol Bol should be a part of the Magic rebuild going forward. Being only 23 y/o, he fits with the timeline and can grow alongside his other young teammates. He’s also a value for money player making only $2 mil. until the end of next season. He’s shown so much on the court to get Magic fans and NBA fans in general excited about what he could become. His talent is unquestioned. He just needs to continue to put in the work in practice and take care of his frail body. If he can do both of these things, we can see him having a long (and successful) career in the NBA.
Stats via: cleaningtheglass.com, basketball-reference.com, nba.com
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